The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-06-26

N0NA OO1NH- NN1 1Ooss "
with her in suoh q cause Tho echo OF thes,
words was heard eleven years later when thu
grcnt crisis had come" M. W. II.
The Literature or Armenia.
In the floods Of books poured from tn,
press two relating to the literature OF an OBJ
scure but not uninteresting people have es
capped the attention OF tho critics: one II
French, "EArm6nie Chretienne OF go Lttera
ture," by M. Neve, professor Of the University
Of Louvain. and one In italian. "Quadro della
storia Lttereria di Armenia" by Mgr. Placidc
Lukias Somal, Archbishop Of Liunia, and Alb
bot-General Of tho Mechitarist Armenian
Monks Of San Lazzaro Venice, italy,. Most
readers have no higher idea Of the Armenian
raco than that OF horde OF beGgars and vaga-
bonds In outlnndish garb. Some may be inter-
| ested In the subject from Lord Byron's fancy
for tho peculiar settlement Of Armenian monks
in Venice. while very few have any idea that
this scattered and prosecuted race has body
Of literature not to DO disdalned by any nation
| in the world.
The larger portion Of Armenia forms part OF
Turkey in Asia, and the industrious natives.
who In the pursuit Of gain traverse every nook
Of the empire. abound ct Constantinople,
whore they are INDUCED with several religious
establishments. Tho Armenian Church IL d.
| vtded into two parts, ono adhering to the
Roman. Bee and the other belonging to the
Eastern schism-s breach which Pope Leo
XIII. 10 now attempting to heal through tho
agency Of an apostolic delegate. and in which
| undertaking he has mot with no small degree
OF success. In 1700 or whereabouts Mechitar
Pedrosian. the Catholic primate. founded q
new monastery In the Moslem capital. Being
prosecuted by the schismatics, he fed with his
monks to the Grecian Morea. then subject to
Venice. and established his monastery. to
which he attached an academy, at Modon.
Here both hourished. but not permanently.
Tho Morea was reoonquered by the Ottomans,
and In lit the worthy prelate transferred his
monastery and academy to Venice. where,
upon the Island Of San Lazzaro one of tho
moro detached of tho hundred isles which CON-
stitute the substratum Of the inhabited portion
Of Venice. It has over since remained and
prospered. In honor Of tho founder It is
called Meohitarist. Abbot Mechitar. during
the rest Of his life. diligently and successfully
exerted himself, taking advantage Of situa-
ton which enabled him to combine the knowl-
edge Of Europe with that Of his native land. to
render his monastic college the chief seat Of
Armenian erudition and education. Thither,
even to this day, all suoh Of his countrymen as
desire superior degree Of culture for their or
spring hsbitually send their sons for instruc-
ton. The best Armenian printing press ex-
tant Ii the Hechitarist, from which issues o
newspaper permitted BY the Sultan. under GER
tain restrictions. to DO circulated among his
Armenian subjects: also an annual periodical.
called the Pdanacib, which 10 devoted to Q re-
view of what tho world is doing In historical
and literary studies, and the social. eoonomi-
cal. physical and natural sciences. Neither
the monks nor their superiors neglect any OPP
portunity they possess for improvement
While they have diligently transferred the IA
nous works Of the anoients and moderns into
the Armenian tongue they take no little pride
in their native literature. as the two volumes
before US testify.
their works, we should mention one fact con-
language Of literature Is not that OF ordinary
life and business. Tho former is called Haican.
from Haico. the reputed progenitor Of the ma
ton the latter Armenian. This appears. how
ever. to be q modern distinction, tho relative
condition Of the two languages being now what
that Of all the languages derived from the
Latin was during the middle ages, when
French. italian, Spanish, and Portuguese were
but 50 many corrupt jarsons. each In its own
country called emphatically the vulgar tongue
In which scholars no moro Thought OF writing
than We should think Of transoribing our
thoughts in the Eastern Or Western dialects Of
| the American Indians. Thus the Armenian
language and literature offer US an interesting
living illustration Of one Of the most striking
characteristics Of the middle nges.
In the two volumes before us are recorded
the names Of upward Of 400 authors besides
those who ore qualified as unknown. meaning
thereby that their names only are known from
being mentioned or quoted by compatriot
writer's. Among these are historians. theo-
logians poets, travellers. geographers. and
mathematioians; but historians and theolo-
CLANS constitute the great majority Of all. OF
course, we cannot recount the whole list here,
but must be content to extract from M Nave
and Mgr Somal brief account Of the origin.
decline. and revival Of. Armenian literature.
besides mentioning one or two Of the names
which arc still esteemed the glory OF their
country and language.
Learned Armenian historians do not pretend
7 to trace their literature further back than
about $50 years before Christ. when two Par
THAN brother princes-Arsaces and Valarsaces
-reigned over Persia and Armenia. The lat
ter. being fond of letters. became inquisitive
regarding the kingdom he reiGned over. and
deputed Marabas Catins. whom Mgr. Somal
calls - very learned man. and. indeed, one Of
tho most sublime geniuses Of those times
high praise whom we remember what those
times were-to explore the recesses Of the past.
and write q history OF Armenia. Marabas
obeyed. collected his materials from old Per-
sian documents preserved at Nineveh. which
wore laid open to his examination by Arsaces,
King Of Persia, and from other sources. He
brought his work down to the time at which he
wrote. and tho production is said to have earned
him tho title Of the Armenian Herodotus. He
was followed by some dozen historians and
mythologists Of the pagan epoch. and. both NJ.
Neve and Mgr. Somal doubt not. by hundreds
OF others now forgotten. But even Of the re-
msmbered few. including the Armenian Hero
dotus himself. the names and the nature OF
their works alone remain. Their productions
have long been lost but have not become thus
valueless. for they were the sources whence
later Armenian writer's who have survived